Aside from balancing academics, work, and after school activities, most students look forward to spending time with their families.

This past Saturday, junior Mikayla Guay with her father, helped plan for her older brother to fly to Maine from Washington State and surprise her mother for her birthday after not seeing him for six months.

“He moved out there just to get the experience and a job at an assisted living home,” Guay said.

Guay’s brother plans on moving back to Maine, but first wants to experience a summer in Washington State. He misses Maine and says nothing could compare to it.

“We got home around 1 a.m. from the airport on Saturday morning and my mom was sleeping and we didn’t want to wake her up,” Guay said.

They quietly and secretly brought her brother into the basement for the night after picking him up from the airport, and waited until the next morning to execute their plan.

“In the morning, I went up to my mom and said ‘Oh my god mom, you’ll never guess who dad and I ran into last night’,” Guay said.

Her brother unexpectedly came from around the corner.

“She was so excited that he was there for her birthday and she cried,” Guay said.

Guay thought of this as one of the best days of her life.

“It was so rewarding to see how happy my mom was to finally see my brother,” Guay said.

Their big surprise for Mrs. Guay was successful and they spent needed time with Guay’s brother.

“We have always been close, like a normal brother sister relationship, but it wasn’t until he moved out there that I really began to appreciate him and realize how much he would do for me,” Guay said.

An example of their bond, is small yet meaningful and goes to prove that even the little things make a difference.

“One time, we had a gift war and we’d do little things for each other and leave them around the house, like Aroma Joes and candy,” Guay said.

Not only is their bond meaningful, but their bond can also be humorous.

“We had this cardboard cutout of Zac Efron at my house and we’d hide it around the house and scare each other by putting it in the closet or shower,” Guay said.

Mikayla used to get together every Sunday with her dad’s side of the family, but working on Sunday makes it hard for her.

“Family is honestly so important to me because when it feels like you’re losing everyone, you know your family will always be there for you.”